Learn French on your computer. If you aren't in France, and you don't have a good French teacher, try using your computer! The better programs (and more expensive ones) have enough flexibility and feedback to (almost) make up for not being in France and not having a good teacher.

It is certainly very convenient to be able to boot up your computer any time and practice your French, drill in vocabulary, take quizzes in grammar and hear your (improving) pronunciation.

And the computer won't raise its eyebrows when you murder the French "u" sound, as in "tu". The better programs let you record your voice so you can compare it to a genuine French voice.

Some of these (all noted) won't work with Windows XP, thus explaining their low prices. Can you pick up an old clunker of a computer with Windows 98 for a few hundred?

There is a wide range of customer satisfaction with language learning software. The inexpensive courses are generally good for reviewing and drilling the language, while the more expensive ones from Rosetta Stone and Fluenz get good reviews.

You may also like: Books for learning French
Books about Paris and France

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Computer Software for Learning French

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Rosetta Stone V3: French, Level 1 & 2 By Rosetta Stone Program for Vista / 2000 / XP, Mac OS X, on CD-ROM. The Rosetta Stone method of teaching French is used by the U.S. State Department. It teaches word recognition, writing, pronunciation and intonation. Buyers' reviews are good except for 2 off-topic reviews. Suitable for adults and children Ages 6 and older. It has the highest price of these courses, (about $305) and seems to be very effective software for learning French on the computer. Inspect/Order Rosetta Stone V3: French, Level 1 & 2 from Amazon.com

Fluenz French 1+2 Windows, Next-Generation French Language Learning Software By Fluenz Program for Windows on CD-ROM. There are video explanations in English given by a teacher. With Fluenz, you learn first in English and relate basic French grammar and syntax to that of English, As of mid 2008, all the reviews give it a 5. At about $300 it seems to give the most value for the price. Inspect/order Fluenz French 1+2 Windows from Amazon.com Go here for the MAC version

SmartFrench By SmartFrench Program for Mac OS, Windows, on CD-ROM. Learn French with simulated conversations with French natives. Simple explanations of French grammar in an inexpensive course. Inspect/Order SmartFrench from Amazon.com

SmartFrench Advanced DVD French By SmartFrench DVD for Windows, on CD-ROM. For listening comprehension of French on your computer. Inspect/Order Advanced DVD French from Amazon.com

Talk To Me French (Beg-Int-Adv) By Auralog Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. 3 levels included: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. More than 100 hours of training in pronunciation and comprehension. It uses speech recognition to detect and correct your errors! Almost as good as a real teacher! Inspect/order Talk To Me French (Beg-Int-Adv) from Amazon.com

I Can Speak French By Transparent Language, Inc. Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. Start with the basics of French. Participate in simulated conversations. Take interactive quizzes as you progress in French. Very low price. Inspect/order I Can Speak French from Amazon.com

Eazyspeak French Levels 1 and 2 By Kutoka Interactive Program for Windows 98 / 2000 / Me / XP, Mac OS X. Comic characters teach young adults and adults to understand and speak French. Fun and non-challenging approach to learning a language. Inspect/Order Eazyspeak French Levels 1 and 2 from Amazon.com

Ecoutez 2 French: for Intermediate Learners By EuroTalk Program for Mac OS, Windows, including XP. For use after Ecoutez 1 French. Inspect/order Ecoutez 2 French from Amazon.com

Instant Immersion French Platinum By Topics Entertainment Instant Immersion French Platinum. Program for Windows NT, 2000, XP. 11 CD-ROM's in the set. 750 hours of instruction in French pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, speaking. Interactive software with voice recognition. Reviews are not enthusiastic. This seems to be a good way to review your French. Inspect/order Instant Immersion French Platinum from Amazon.com

Learn to Speak French Deluxe Traveler's Edition By The Learning Company Program for Windows 95 / 98, XP. French pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, speaking, reading, writing. Interactive software with voice recognition. At around $10 this is a low-risk way to try out computer-based learning. Inspect/order Learn to Speak French Deluxe Traveler's Edition from Amazon.com

TeLL me More French Premium Collection (Beg-Int-Adv) By Auralog Program for Windows on CD-ROM. French reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, vocabulary, culture. Interactive software with voice recognition. This includes the edition shown at the immediate left. With software, you generally get what you pay for. There are no reviews yet for this one (Dec 04) but it appears to be an effective course. Inspect/order TeLL me More French Premium Collection (Beg-Int-Adv) from Amazon.com

Smart Start French Deluxe By Knowledge Adventure Program for Windows 95, 98 on CD-ROM. Not for Windows XP. Although the buyers' reviews are mixed, this seems to be a good way to get practice and to build your French vocabulary. For the price it seems like a good buy. Inspect/order Smart Start French Deluxe from Amazon.com

Complete French Learning Suite By Transparent Language Program for Windows 95 / 98, XP. Games, lessons and multimedia helps you learn vocabulary, grammar, speaking, reading and writing. Inspect/order Complete French Learning Suite from Amazon.com

Easy Translator 4 Deluxe By Transparent Language Program for Windows, on CD-ROM. A $58 translation program can give you the meaning of one word, and the approximate sense of a phrase. Machine translation generally does not produce meaningful results for sentence-length input. I recommend it for getting the general sense of things written in a language that you don't know. No matter what the manufacturer says! English to French French to English Inspect/order Easy Translator 4 Deluxe from Amazon.com

Franklin TG-450 12 Language European Translator By Franklin Electronics For about $32 you get a handy dictionary for French and other languages. The word "translator" is advertiser hype. There is no way that a pocket device can translate. There are no "universal translators" as on Star Trek. Humans can translate. Machines can look up words and phrases. Your web editor does not recommend carrying one of these around while traveling and using it to communicate with people. Use it as a dictionary and as an aid for understanding the target language. Inspect/order Franklin TG-450 12 Language European Translator from Amazon.com

Learn French Now! 9.0 By Transparent Language Program for Mac OS, Windows 95, 98, XP. For beginners. Learn French with listen and speak activities, grammar tools, vocabulary games and videos. Practice your French grammar interactively with this program. Simulated conversations give you practice. Very low price. Inspect/order Learn French Now! 9.0 from Amazon.com

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